Transmission Assessments

Innovative Solutions for Markets and Customers

LAI's power market experts, transmission engineers, and economists possess in-depth knowledge of high voltage AC and DC power systems. LAI has conducted many transmission studies covering technical issues of thermal / voltage violations and deliverability, commercial issues of market energy and capacity price impacts, and environmental issues associated with visual impacts and siting concerns. LAI maintains an integrated suite of resource planning, financial, production cost simulation, and transmission models to conduct the quantitative analyses needed for informed decision-making.

LAI has been at the forefront in assessing the market implications and regulatory issues for new merchant transmission projects in the Northeast. We have also evaluated technical and commercial aspects of backbone transmission projects in the mid-Atlantic states and California. We have evaluated proposals to alleviate bottlenecks, quantified congestion costs, evaluated firm and non-firm transmission withdrawal options, analyzed interconnection and deliverability issues, assessed upgrade and attachment facilities, analyzed resource balances based on Capacity Emergency Transfer Objectives and Limits, and estimated inter-market price movements. Our advice recognizes FERC guidance in Order 1000 to assure consistency with transmission planning and cost allocation principles.

LAI can provide a range of transmission and power market services to clients:

• Estimate transmission impacts on capacity prices and nodal / zonal LMPs
• Economic analysis of HVAC and HVDC transmission projects
• Analyze congestion, including PJM determinations of CETO and CETL
• Advise on the value of firm versus non-firm transmission service, withdrawal rights and injection rights
• Advise clients on transmission development and ISO / RTO transmission planning issues
• Evaluate market structure for merchant transmission investments
• Assess load pocket conditions and resulting interface limits
• Advise clients on ISO cluster-based interconnection process implementation pursuant to FERC Order No. 2023 in New England, New York, and PJM
• Represent interconnection customers via ISO coordination and interrogation of study results - scoping meeting, key milestones, feasibility study, system impact study, and facility study
• Design, evaluate, and provide independent oversight for competitive transmission solicitations